Understanding “Millennials” – How to keep them job-loyal!

Posted by on Jan 15, 2014 in Generation Y, Millennials | 0 comments

Simply put, Millennials respond to jobs that make life better for other people. This generation is modern-day version of the civic-minded G.I. Generation.

Generational characteristics, such as the need to serve, are formed by the historical events that happen during a generation’s formative years. So, let’s look at a few events that influenced young Millennials.

-Millennials witnessed the deaths of Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, and Linda McCartney – and saw the emphasis placed on the importance of devoting one’s life to the greater good.

-Millennials viewed TV’s “Live 8” concerts – ten concerts held around the world
to encourage aid to fight poverty in Africa.

-Millennials have been doing volunteer work since pre-school and are the 1st generation which has to list volunteer activities on college admission forms.

So, it’s no surprise that Millennials connect to careers that make a positive impact on others.

This generational characteristic caused one observer to call them “Millennial Searchers”.

Workers who find their jobs meaningful are more engaged and less likely to leave their current positions.

Further, this mind-set affects what types of careers millennials search for. Today’s young adults are hoping to go into careers that make an enduring impact on others. Last spring, when the National Society of High School Scholars, a global honor society for high school students, asked more than 9,000 top students and recent graduates what they wanted to do with their lives, they found that these recession-era millennials favored careers in health care and government. Of the top 25 companies they wanted to pursue out of a list of more than 200, eight were in health care or at hospitals while six were in government or the military. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital came in as the No. 1 place these millennials wanted to work “The focus on helping others is what millennials are responding to,” James W. Lewis, the chief executive of the honor society, told Forbes.

Even if your product or service is not a “people-helper”, your company can be! And that will help you to keep your best Millennials with you a long, long time.